SEARCH · Search PubMed
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
A 12-year-old Domestic Shorthair cat with a soft, fluctuant, subcutaneous mass, approximately 5 cm in diameter on the posterior aspect of the left tarsus was diagnosed as having protothecosis. Cultures, histopathology, and fluorescent antibody reagents were used to identify Prototheca wickerhamii as the etiologic agent. Protothecosis has not previously been recorded in cats.
Schwannomas were diagnosed in twelve dogs and five cats at Massey University Small Animal Clinic and Hospital over a 15-year period (1977-92). A further two feline cases were reported at the Batchelar Animal Health Laboratory. In six dogs, the tumour involved nerves of the brachial plexus. Clinical signs observed in these dogs were forelimb lameness, muscle wasting and pain on movement of the affected limb or neck. Hindlimb paresis was observed in two dogs. Surgical excision of the brachial plexus tumour was attempted in one dog, leading to an 8-month remission of signs. In one dog, the tumour involved the sacral nerves, and in two dogs the cranial nerves were affected. Three dogs had skin nodules. Seven of the twelve affected dogs were destroyed. In five cats, the tumours developed on the carpus, tarsus or interdigital area of a forelimb or hindlimb as a slowly developing nodular lesion. In the other two cats, the site of the tumour was the flank and the lateral thigh respectively. Surgical excision of the tumour was successful in three cats.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of three common surgical procedures of increasing complexity in the correction of trachomatous entropion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective study, lids with moderate or severe (without lid gap) trachomatous entropion were randomly allocated to undergo either terminal tarsal rotation (I, n = 30), tarsal rotation with tarso-conjunctival advancement (II, n = 30), or anterior lamellar repositioning with lid margin split and wedge resection of tarsus (III, n = 30). The procedures were compared for improvement of symptoms, duration of surgery, cosmesis, rate and type of complications, anatomical correction, failure and recurrence. One-way and repeated-measure ANOVA, Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used. RESULTS: The study included 90 eyes of 77 patients (age range: 30-85 years). Symptomatic improvement was comparable after each procedure (p > 0.05). Procedure I, the simplest in technique, took significantly less time (p < 0.001). The three procedures were comparable in achieving cosmesis (p = 1.0), anatomical correction (p = 0.35), and rate of complications (p = 0.43). Failure of surgery was seen in two lids (procedure II), and recurrence in one lid (procedure III). CONCLUSION: In developing countries, where manpower and other resources are limited and patient-load high, ophthalmic surgeons should choose a procedure that is simple, quick and effective. This study suggests that terminal tarsal rotation after transverse tarsotomy should be the procedure of choice in the correction of moderate or severe (without lid gap) trachomatous entropion.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and anatomical results of the complex one-stage surgical treatment of BPES by means of levator resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 51 children (73 eyes) aged 3-16 years with BPES were operated on by the newly developed one-stage technique at the Pediatric Ophthalmology Department of the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy. The surgical technique included shortening of the internal canthal ligament, resection of the tarsus and levator muscle, and skin plasty. The new surgical technique is based on new data on the topography of the upper eyelid and anterior part of the orbit obtained by MRI-onward protrusion of the orbital septum with increased volume of the pre-aponeurotic fat pad; thickening of the suborbicularis fat layer; shortening and thickening of the mobile part of the upper eyelid; and slight expression and low position of the palpebral fold. RESULTS: Elimination of ptosis and epicanthus was achieved in all cases (eye fissure widening of up to 7-11 mm, average 8.8 +/- 1.04 mm, and lengthening of up to 21-30 mm, average 24.7 +/- 2.87 mm). Increased levator function to 3-10 mm (average 5.6 +/- 0.19 mm) was also achieved after surgery. Control MRI investigation confirmed the normalization of the topography of the eyelid and orbital structures. CONCLUSION: The newly developed surgical technique for BPES correction by means of levator resection permits one to obtain high cosmetic and functional results based on improvement of the topography of the upper eyelid and orbital structures.
A new surgical procedure for the treatment of all types of congenital blepharoptosis is described: suspension of the eyelid to the check ligament of the superior fornix. This is a dynamic suspension technique by which the check ligament, which is an extension of Tenon's capsule and normally inserts into the superior conjunctival fornix, is brought forward and sutured to the tarsus, which raises the eyelid. This technique does not sacrifice or add any tissue and is simple to repeat if necessary. Sixty-two patients were operated on using the technique and followed up for a mean of 23 months (range 3 months to 9.6 years). In a group of patients not operated on before for ptosis, 50 eyelids were raised with 74% normalisation, 22% improvement, and one eyelid each that showed only slight change or overcorrection. In a group of patients with 27 eyelids operated on before using other techniques, 67% of the eyelids were normalised, 30% were improved, and only one eyelid showed no change. In conclusion, this new technique has proved to be quite successful in raising the level of the upper eyelid in congenital blepharoptosis, with results at least comparable to those of most other techniques. The advantages with the check ligament over other techniques are the minimal trauma of the surgery, its simplicity, and its repeatability.
In an attempt to clarify the topography of the structures at the roof of the orbit we dissected the anterior cranial fossas of seven cadavers. Structures such as the periorbita, levator muscle of the upper eyelid and its aponeurosis, as well as Tenon's capsule with its continuation into the check ligament of the superior fornix were identified. The technique for correction of congenital blepharoptosis by suspension of the check ligament of the superior fornix to the tarsus was mimicked and its function clarified.
Müller's muscle can be thought of as a large serial type of muscle spindle of the levator muscle. Effective stretching of the mechanoreceptor in the proximal part of Müller's muscle by voluntary phasic contraction of the levator muscle for initial opening of the eye induces involuntary tonic contraction of the levator muscle as a stretch reflex via the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus, to maintain an adequate visual field. After disinsertion of the levator aponeurosis from the tarsus by habitual rubbing, elongation of Müller's muscle secondary to thinning (aponeurotic blepharoptosis) or paralysis (Horner syndrome) desensitises the mechanoreceptor of Müller's muscle, resulting in blepharoptosis. Shortening of the elongated and thinned Müller's muscle by instillation of phenylephrine, and surgical shortening, and fixation of the disinserted, elongated, and thinned aponeurosis using the orbital septum, restored involuntary tonic contraction of the levator muscle in nearly all of 2000 patients with aponeurotic blepharoptosis and in 11 patients with Horner syndrome.
Kangaroos and their relatives (family Macropodidae) are divided into the subfamilies Macropodinae (kangaroos, wallabies, pademelons) and Potoroinae (rat-kangaroos, potoroos, bettongs). The musky rat-kangaroo, Hypsiprymnodon moschatus, is traditionally allied with other potoroines, based primarily on the basis of osteological characters and aspects of the female reproductive system. Unlike other macropodids, however, which are capable of bipedal hopping, Hypsiprymnodon is a quadrupedal bounder and lacks several derived features of the pes and tarsus that are presumably adaptations for bipedal hopping. Other derived features, such as a complex stomach, loss of P2 with the eruption of P3, and reduction of litter size to one, are also lacking in Hypsiprymnodon but occur in all other macropodids. Thus, available evidence suggests that Hypsiprymnodon either is part of a monophyletic Potoroinae or is a sister taxon to other living macropodids. To test these hypotheses, we sequenced 1,170 bp base pairs of the mitochondrial genome for 16 macropodids. Maximum parsimony, minimum evolution, maximum likelihood, and quartet puzzling all support the hypothesis that macropodines and potoroines are united to the exclusion of Hypsiprymnodon. This hypothesis implies that characters such as bipedal hopping evolved only once in macropodid evolution. Aside from Hypsiprymnodon, the remaining macropodids separate into the traditional Macropodinae and Potoroinae. Macropodines further separate into two clades: one containing the New Guinean forest wallabies Dorcopsis and Dorcopsulus, and one consisting of the genera Macropus, Setonix, Thylogale, Onychogalea, Wallabia, Dendrolagus, Peradorcas, and Lagorchestes. Among potoroines, there is moderate support for the association of Bettongia and Aepyprymnus to the exclusion of Potorous. Divergence times were estimated by using 12S ribosomal RNA transversions. At the base of the macropodid radiation, Hypsiprymnodon diverged from other macropodids approximately 45 million years ago. This estimate is comparable to divergence estimates among families of Australasian possums based on single-copy DNA hybridization and 12S rRNA transversions. Macropodines and potoroines, in turn, diverged approximately 30 million years ago. Among macropodines, Dorcopsis and Dorcopsulus separated from other taxa approximately 10 million years ago.
Recent molecular studies are inconsistent with ungulate phylogenetic trees that are based on morphological traits. These inconsistencies especially relate to the position of cetaceans and perissodactyls. Evaluation of the close phylogenetic ties between artiodactyls and cetaceans has been hampered by the absence of tarsal bones of primitive cetaceans, as artiodactyls are often diagnosed on the basis of their tarsus. We here describe newly discovered tarsal bones that are the oldest cetacean tarsals known. We present a character analysis for primitive ungulate tarsals and evaluate their impact on the ungulate phylogenetic tree. Tarsal data are consistent with some molecular studies in suggesting that the extant sister group of Cetacea is Artiodactyla or that Cetacea should be included within the latter order. Tarsal data do not support Cete (Mesonychia plus Cetacea) and are consistent with the exclusion of perissodactyls from paenungulates as suggested by some molecular studies.
The electrical responses of the neurons associated with the various types of chemosensory hairs of the blowfly, Phormia regina Meigen, following stimulation by chemical and mechanical means have been studied. The singly innervated chemosensory hairs on the ovipositor, maxillary palpi, and antennae respond vigorously to chemical stimulation, but not to mechanical stimulation. The triply innervated chemosensory hairs on the labellum, tarsus, and wing have two neurons which respond only to chemical stimuli. The third neuron responds only to mechanical stimulation. The differential responses of the two chemosensory neurons to various chemical stimuli following the removal of the tip of the hair suggest that the structures responsible for chemoreception are located throughout the distal processes of these neurons. The response of the third neuron to mechanical stimulation is similar to the response recorded from the neuron associated with one type of tactile hair which responds to motion and not to steady deformation. Recordings have been made from the neurons associated with purely tactile hairs using the cut hair as an extension of the micropipette. The mechanosensory neuron of the wing chemosensory hair is capable of responding at the rate of at least 600 impulses per sec. and may serve to indicate changes in air flow over the wing surfaces during flight to enable the fly to correct the wing camber and attack angle.
To investigate whether there is a relationship between the inherent maximum growth rate of a chick and its degree of developmental plasticity, we studied the effects of food restriction on morphological and physiological development in P-line (selected for high growth rates) and C-line (nonselected) chicks of the Japanese quail between 2 and 64 d of age. In each line, three groups were created; one group in which the chicks were fed ad lib. and two other groups in which the chicks received 70% and 40% of the line-specific ad lib. feeding levels, respectively. In all three groups, chick survival rates were very high, and no relationship was detected between feeding level and chick mortality. The experimental feeding levels strongly affected the chicks' attainment of body mass at all ages. In addition, at most ages the growth of the structural components (wing, tarsus, and head) were also significantly affected by the feeding experiment but to a much smaller extent than the body mass. The feeding levels also affected the achievement of female sexual maturity such that, at the end of the experiment, most of the ad lib.-fed females and none of the females that received 40% of the ad lib. feeding level were laying eggs. In chicks of both lines that were fed ad lib., homeothermy was achieved at 7 d of age, but in chicks that received 40% of the line-specific ad lib. levels, homeothermy was achieved after 15-22 d of age. Poikilothermic chicks (P- and C-line) that were relatively heavy for their age exhibited relatively high resting metabolic rates (RMRs) and peak metabolic rates (PMRs) for their age. In addition, a positive relationship was found between the chicks' relative mass and RMR (based on mass-based predictive equations). No relationship was detected between the chicks' relative body mass and their relative PMR (relative to mass-based predictive equations). With respect to the metabolic scope (i.e., PMR-RMR), Japanese quail chicks exhibited remarkable developmental plasticity: chicks with body masses that were 50% lower than the normal growing chicks did exhibit a normal capacity of thermogenic heat production for their mass. Because no differences were found with respect to the level of plasticity of morphological and physiological development between the two strains, we conclude that the selection for high postnatal growth rates in P-strain chicks has not resulted in a in a higher vulnerability of these chicks to food restrictions.
Evidence from a number of avian studies suggests that limitation of exogenous calcium (Ca) may reduce egg quality and retard nestling growth. However, it is poorly understood whether reduction in chick growth in Ca-poor areas is due to insufficient intake of dietary Ca or caused by maternal Ca limitation mediated through subtle changes in composition of eggs. In this study, we provide new evidence that Ca availability during egg formation may indeed affect egg composition and influence chick development of the great tit Parus major at early developmental stages. Ca-supplemented birds breeding in base-poor pine forests produced eggs with elevated yolk Ca concentration compared with controls, while no such effect of supplementation was detected in case of eggshell thickness. Nestling tarsus length in the first half of the nestling period was positively influenced by both yolk dry mass and yolk Ca concentration. The effect of supplementary Ca did not persist throughout the nestling period; initial effects of egg components disappeared as nestlings aged. We conclude that apparently normal eggs may harbor poor nutrient and mineral conditions for chick growth. Such subtle changes in composition of eggs can depress chick growth, especially in harsh years.
The primary energy source for migration is fat, but nonfat body components can vary in concert with lipid stores in some migrants. The goals of this study were (1) to validate for a small Old World warbler (the blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla) non-destructive methods to measure lean and fat mass, (2) to quantify the relative contribution of lean mass to body-mass change of migrants, and (3) to ascertain what lean tissues might be involved. Using total-body electrical conductivity and dilution space of isotope-labeled water, we measured lean and fat mass with precision of 3%-4% and 10%-15%, respectively. In newly arrived migrants with apparently similar structural size (tarsus length), there was a significant positive correlation between lean mass and fat mass; 37% of each unit change was lean mass and 63% fat. Captive blackcaps, fed ad lib. for 7 d, gained body mass, with 40% being lean mass. When captives were fasted 1.5-3 d, both body mass and lean mass declined; lean mass accounted for 42% of body mass lost. In fasted birds, the masses of liver, stomach, and small intestine declined and accounted for 44% of the total lean mass decline, a disproportionate amount considering that these organs make up only 11% of a blackcap's lean mass. In freshly captured blackcaps, organ masses were positively correlated with lean mass minus the organ masses, suggesting that these organs are a source of lean mass catabolized by migrants. We conclude that migrants' need for protein to rebuild lean mass during stopover could constrain diet selection and require increased foraging time, thus slowing mass gain and lengthening overall migration time. Also, stopover time may be lengthened if time is required to rebuild atrophied organs that are important in food digestion and assimilation.
A taste tissue cDNA library of the fleshfly Boettcherisca peregrina was screened with a subtracted cDNA probe enriched with taste-receptor-tissue-specific cDNA. Seven genes were identified with sequence similarity to insect odorant-binding protein (OBP) genes. The predicted amino acid sequences of the genes contain the putative signal peptide sequence at the N-terminal and most of them conserve the six cysteines common to known insect OBPs. These genes show a high degree of sequence divergence with approximately 20% amino acid identity. The most striking feature was that all seven of these genes are expressed mainly in the taste tissues, such as the labellum and tarsus, unlike the known insect OBP genes expressed in olfactory tissue. The predicted amino acid sequences had the highest degree of sequence similarity to the Drosophila melanogaster OBPs named pheromone binding protein-related proteins (PBPRPs). These gene products are here referred to as gustatory PBP-related proteins (GPBPRPs) 1-7. Homologous GPBPRP genes were found also in D. melanogaster by database search and are shown to be expressed in Drosophila taste tissues.
The isolation of gain of function mutations has allowed the identification of a number of genes which are important in the normal development of the organism. We report here the isolation and characterization of Aristapedioid, a gain of function mutation which causes a partial transformation of arista towards tarsus and the loss or decrease in size of the dorso-central and scutellar bristles. Aristapedioid is the result of a P element mediated inversion which juxtaposes unrelated DNA adjacent to Suppressor 2 of zeste, causing a gain of function mutation in that gene.
Colicus spinosus Goff & Gettinger, n. sp., is described from Marmosa agilis. Quadraseta brasiliensis Goff & Gettinger, n. sp., is described from Marmosa agilis, Monodelphis americana, and Oryzomys capito. All specimens were collected in central Brazil. The diagnosis of the genus Arisocerus Brennan, 1970, is corrected to describe the setation of the palpal tarsus as 7BS rather than 6BS as listed in the original description.
A new species of hypoderatid deutonymph is described from the subcutaneous adipose tissues of the pelagic cormorant, Phalacrocorax pelagicus Pallas, from Alaska. Neotialges neopelagicus n. sp. is similar to the 3 other Neottialges spp. from cormorants. N. neopelagicus closely resembles N. tasmaniensis Fain & Domrow except the genital apodeme is incomplete in the latter, but the sclerotized T-shaped extremities are connected by a thin line of sclerotization to form a complete central apodeme in N. neopelagicus. There also are minor differences in leg chaetotaxy of these 2 species. The genital apodeme is heavily sclerotized throughout its length in N. evanis Fain and N. pelagicus OConnor. In both these species, seta d4 is long and resembles other middorsal idiosomal setae, whereas it is short and hairlike in N. tasmaniensis and N. neopelagicus. In N. pelagicus terminal seta as on tarsus IV is smooth; it is serrated in the other three species. The single pelagic cormorant we found infected with N. neopelagicus shared this host with N. pelagicus, emphasizing the possibility of coexistence of 2 very similar species of hypoderatids in the same host individual.
Birds have a high demand for the amino acid glycine due to its involvement in uric acid biosynthesis. Because the ability to synthesize glycine may be limited in the immature liver of young birds, glycine is usually considered to be semiessential in the diet of newly hatched chicks. This study investigated the effects of supplementary dietary glycine on growth and development in budgerigar chicks. Eighteen pairs of breeding budgerigars were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatment groups. Each pair of birds was offered a seed-based diet and a rearing food that was used as the supplementation medium. One group received an unsupplemented rearing diet (2.7 g glycine/kg), whereas the remaining groups received diets supplemented with 15.0 and 30.0 g glycine/kg, respectively. Sixty-seven chicks were reared with records kept of growth and survival rates. A dietary glycine supplement tended to enhance the growth rate of budgerigar chicks, although this was not significant. There was no influence of diet on the rate of feather growth or the number of chicks that survived to adulthood. Follow-up measurements, conducted 1 y later, indicated that a dietary glycine supplement during development had long-term morphological effects. Bodyweight, tarsus length and beak width were all significantly greater in adult budgerigars that had received the highest level of glycine supplementation as chicks.